Lightning Returns: The Tragic Comedy Gets Worse And Worse

But I don't think anybody expected any semblance of Dark Souls to be found in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. According to what producer Yoshinori Kitase said, though (via Kotaku), there will be some "elements" of the new FF that are akin to the "severity of a game like Dark Souls.

And I echo the author's sentiment- "Oh, crap..." We know the game is drastically different than any past FF entry, as it's open-world, the combat is performed solo (and in real-time), and players will have to deal with a 13-day time limit. Now we learn three more troubling pieces of information: First, it actually isn't 13 days...it's 7. Yeah, 7. You can only expand it to 13 by completing certain side-quests. Secondly, you will have a limited number of inventory slots for items. Thirdly and lastly, combat doesn't grant you experience or money.

I have no idea what sort of game this is, but I know this- I don't care.

in fact if history teaches us anything it's that by us not buying this game, the game having terrible sales equating to a huge loss, SE will essentially take that to mean that they need to make it even less like FF of old.

Oh come now... I know it is hardly up to the 'FF standard' but comparing it to Dark Souls is a bit much... This title will certainly not be as overrated I can assure you...Last edited by Vivi_Gamer on 6/20/2013 2:16:27 PM

In XIII it FELT like there was no purpose to fighting because you got all your health back afterward, almost never got paid, and the abilities you gained became a part of a hardly noticeable autobattle mechanic... but now the battles won't just feel pointless they will actually BE pointless.

Call me bitter, call me anything you want but I want this game to fail so hard that it physically makes people sick.Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 6/20/2013 2:33:11 PM

I must agree with World's sentiments that this game NEEDS to fail. Honestly, this is on par with turning Star Fox into an adventure game hero. Next we'll see, what, a Final Fantasy shooter? Wait... oops... *cough* dirgeofcerberus *cough*

I enjoyed DoC a lot... but probably because my expectations weren't high. I knew exactly what it was before I got it. I didn't have any expectation at all that it played like FF nor that it was replacing the gameplay of FF.

The premise seems very interesting. Definitely a day one purchase for me. If the gameplay is solid, I'll have absolutely no complaints. I'm looking forward to seeing how Lightning is sent off. I like that character. As far as the name on the box, I really don't give a care. It boggles the mind that so many people talk more about games(and systems) they don't intend to buy then those They do. Too much negativity in my hobby.

A bit melodramatic there. I care about good games.Period. If it's in an existing franchise or new IP, doesn't matter. I loved Phantasy Star on the Genesis especially 3, but I didn't cry and moan when they made it an online game. I bought it and enjoyed it. Still got my RPG fill with Skies of Acadia, too. The FF13 experiment is interesting to me. You rarely see games try different gameplay types in the same universe. Each game brings an entirely different experience. For me as a gamer, I like that. Some people like franchises to change slightly, but in essence be the same exact game. I like change..

"I like change! You people are stuck in the past!" That's a disingenuous position (and melodramatic).

Final Fantasy fans LOVE change. It was a point of pride for many years that each iteration of the series explored a completely new world, with a new cast of characters, focused on a new grand theme. We loved it when the series took big risks in storytelling (like killing off the love interest in the middle of the tale) or branched out in new gameplay directions (Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the most beloved FF games of all time). These games were not all "in essence the same exact games," as you contend.

The Final Fantasies of this gen have been shadows of their predecessors. I didn't find FFXIII to be as absolutely terrible as some, but there's no question it is a huge step back from its predecessors. The qualities that I cherished most in Final Fantasy games have been further marginalized with each iteration of the FFXIII series, and Lightning Returns looks to continue that trend.

It's fine to claim that you want great games and don't care about the name. That argument might hold some water if this generation's Final Fantasy games were great. They're not. They've been adequate-to-disastrous, depending on the title. The past Final Fantasy games WERE great, and the loss of the series' greatness is a tragedy to fans who actually care.

You can sneer all you like from your pedestal and bemoan the negativity of your hobby, but if there is any chance at all of Square reversing course and actually remembering the things that once made Final Fantasy the gold standard of RPGs, it will happen because fans speak up--with their voices and their money.

I didn't have an issue with Metroid being an FPS nor did I have a problem with Red Faction becoming a TPS. Of course those genres are a bit more interchangeable than RPG to FPS but if there was an FF off shoot done in the first person and it was good, I'd definitely buy it. I think wishing a game to fail because a person doesn't. like it is incredibly stupid and wrong

I think it will be interesting to see how they experimented with this one and I honestly cannot wait to see how the gameplay system works!I think at the end of the day, it's the players individual choice as to how they receive the franchise. I'm totally ready to hop on and have a blast playing!

Final Fantasy is a series that a lot of gamers grew up with and enjoyed.

I was too young at the time, but I spent a LOT of time playing all the original FF titles on SNES emulators when I was a young lad. They saved me from a rather grim existence at times, and hold a place in my heart, I'm not alone in this, a lot of people feel the same.

FFVII was sort of a life changing event. Only those that experienced it at the time can ever truly understand it.

During the current generation, Squeenix has been seeking ways to increase it's sales throughout the world, because apparently FF was a failing franchise in it's old form? Anyway, during it's analysis of the success of Western titles, they decided to make the game more fast paced an intense. This was the beginning of the end for FF. FFXII featured some big changes, and FFXIII was a huge departure, and ever since then, every single FF game they have released is more and more based on the gameplay of action adventure games.

They aren't 'trying different gameplay types' they are simply trying to emulate something else. Monkey see monkey do. You know what though? it's NOT working, international sales of FF games has decreased dramatically, and what was their answer? "That FF game didn't do well, it mustn't have been fast, dumb, and easy enough for Westerners to enjoy! Let's try again, and THIS time, make it Western!". Then the next one fails more.

They see each failure, as the product not being something the world can enjoy.

Sure, the quality of their games is generally top notch. But they are missing the point, and always have. So you see, they aren't trying something new, they are deliberately butt f**king a franchise. They should have made it a spin-off franchise, or a new IP, and told whatever stories they wanted, while trying something COMPLETELY new for FF by going back to its roots.Last edited by Akuma_ on 6/20/2013 9:38:05 PM

It's really too bad that you're dead flat wrong, Kid. If we all hated change, you would've seen this rebellion for Final Fantasy XII. Didn't happen. A few people, myself included, were a little suspicious at first, but then we realized that it was still an RPG. Maybe it wasn't the kind of RPG we expected from Final Fantasy, but it was still role-playing. And it was still great.

You really think people should stick their heads in the sand when it's not even in the same GENRE? And when the quality has CONSIDERABLY declined? That's the epitome of narrow-minded, my friend.

Not everyone liked XII Ben... As for myself and some other friends that are huge FF fans we actually liked XIII way more than XII, which is still the only FF(main series or spinoff) that I've only played once, and that didn't motivate me to get 100%.

The problem with XII was the story and the uninteresting characters, which FFXIII didn't have. I really liked Lightning, Sazh and Fang, Vanille would have been a great character if it weren't for the VA, Noel was a really pleasant surprise and I still think Caius is one of the most convincing and well thought villains in all of the franchise. That's the reason I'm getting this game, Cause I wan't to know how the story ends and what happens to the characters.

In my view, FF was never about mechanics, the great Hironobu Sakaguchi said himself that they always did the best they could with the technology they had, and that he would have loved to make FF more action oriented from the beginning. FF was an always has been about the story and the characters and in that respect, XIII was more of an FF than XII.

I posted a similar comment on negative before reading yours... since I'm not alone in this world after all... I'm pretty intrigued by this game, and I'm hopeful It'll turn out a good game. More than anything, I'm really looking forward to the conclusion of the story of the FFXIII characters, as I've come to like them quite a bit.

I actually am really looking forward to this. the graphics looks good, combat isnt as boring as the ff13 and of all the ff13 characters i liked lightning the best. i just hope the story doesnt suck or gets too confusing and stuff!

Hey Ben how about posting an article on our PS3's bricking from this update so it won't happen to others instead of another final fantasy is going to sh*t article? I think that's more important right now.

hopefully it won't be as bad as it seems. I still applaud square for trying to go so far out of what is considered their comfort zone. Or I could just say "something something something positive thinking. something something something progressive."

i actually don't mind this. if anything it means i'll have to play harder on a final fantasy then i have in the past. and since it's the first "part 3" of a final fantasy, i have to play it, even if i wait for the price drop.

As long as they have an extensive skill and equipment system we'll see some good.

And if they do the stupid CP points for accessories i'll hex edit that up past 300-500 and play the game fairly.

I have read very little about this game, but now it appears I need to, not because I have any desire to play it, but what is this about a time limit? How do you have a time limit to beat the game? Does this mean if suddenly family comes to visit after you started the game, you will have to start over once they leave because you didn't play it a few days.If it is at all like it sounds I can only say, How Dumb.

You know, I've come to this site since 2006, before the PS3 was launched. I don't post much but I really like it here. This was the first site I found that had a community that seemed to mirror my taste in games, oriented more to the RPGs than the FPSs... But It seems that everyday (or at least every week) there's a new article bashing SE or FF and now, It's not even about games we've seen, It's about games that haven't even been released (World's article on FFXV and KH3 and this one).

Look, I know everyone has the right to have their opinion but this site is not and never has been about negativity, It's one of the things I love about it the most. We're all sony fans here, but we're not fanboys. You can engage almost anyone on the comments for a civilized discussion, So can we please, please stop with this type of articles? I get it, Ben, World, most of the contributors (and I imagine most of the site's members) don't like FFXIII and It's sequels, but some of us do. As others have stated, don't like it?, don't care about it?, well don't talk about it anymore and we can all get the positive PSXextreme we all know and love...

I didn't say you don't like all the FFs, I said you didn't like FFXIII and It's sequel and even though you gave them a good and an avobe average score, It was pretty clear you didn't like what they did with the Franchise (IIRC, you said you enjoyed FFXIII-2, but for all the wrong reasons?).

Also I didn't single you out, I was talking to the community here in general. And It's precisely because of the negativity that I don't go to Kotaku, I come here. You can't tell me that a headline like "Lightning Returns: The Tragic Comedy Gets Worse And Worse" is not negative...

Thank you darxed. Instead of these articles, I would prefer articles about PS1 and Ps2 rpg games that new gamers aren't aware of. Also developer interviews about some of our beloved games from the past.

darxed, those are the FF's he's talking about. Ben has been a reviewer here for the PS3 generation mostly.

His reviews are what he's talking about, and they were, for both games, quite on par with the rest of the gaming world.

You're trying to find hate where there is none.

@gungravenot me. I want current news. Like this article. Information on the past can be found.... in the past... it's all recorded... go ahead... we'll wait. ;pLast edited by Underdog15 on 6/22/2013 3:01:39 AM

FFXIII didn't meet their expectations so they made XIII-2. That failed so then they make this "thing" and throw a XIII on it. Seems like this is doomed to do even worse! I think S-E is going to keep trying until the XIII series is successful! Everything they showed us at E3 was just a promise but first we need to "enjoy" these or they'll keep making more until we do! "Here is what desert will be but first you have to clean your plate of all the Brussels sprouts and tell us how much you loved them!"

speechless. i am not sure what is SE thinking. why are they making so many FFX111 series. just saved your money and stop producing crap. I was a hardcore SquareSOFT fan in the PS1 era til PS2. but my GOD! what have they done. just release FFX HD, KH3 and FF15 and go file BANKRUPTcy. not even sure what are they doing